Why Do I Bother?

This post has been a long time coming.

I write, and nobody reads what I write.

I post photographs from my travels, and if I'm lucky, 10 people will like an image, while other photographers get hundreds of likes.

I offer photographs for sale, yet I have sold only a handful of prints.

I offer beautiful photo calendars for sale, yet I'm lucky to sell fewer than a dozen.

So why do I bother?  All proceeds from calendar and photo sales go to charity, and I personally match all proceeds.

I am a good photographer. I am a good writer.

I spend a couple hundred of dollars every year on my photography Web site, which remains unvisited. I have chosen not to renew the page when its current term expires on June 3.

Why do I keep doing this when there is so little reward for me and for my chosen charity? Certainly I get a lot of satisfaction from writing and photography. And I guess from now on that will have to suffice.

Find Your Good and Do It

Find your good and do it.

Those encouraging words are from singer and humanitarian Jon Bon Jovi.

They are inspiring words, words that I hope more people will heed.

I saw a story on the national news recently about an innovative program in Nashville, TN, established by country singer Brad Paisley and his wife to help feed the city's hungry residents.

They have set up a non-profit called The Store (thestore.org) that allows anyone in need to shop for whatever groceries they need, no questions asked and no payment is needed. A simple form is all that is required. 

This program not only feeds people, but it also preserves their dignity by allowing them to shop in a small market, just as we shop for the groceries we want to purchase. And it avoids waste caused by giving people food they don't want, don't like, or won't eat. When The Store was forced to close during the height of the pandemic, groceries were delivered to the elderly by volunteers. I can't stand country music, but I love what Paisley and his wife Kimberly have done to help their city. 

Jon Bon Jovi is another musician who has stepped up to serve the residents of New Jersey. He and his wife currently own and operate non-profit community restaurants through their JBJ Soul Kitchen foundation. The restaurants serve both paying and in-need guests. The menu has no prices; guests can either make a donation (suggested minimum is $20) for their meals, or volunteer in the restaurant.

Celebrity Spanish chef Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen (www.wck.org) provide chef-prepared meals to communities impacted by natural disasters and humanitarian crises. WCK is in Ukraine, distributing 300,000 hot meals each day to those impacted by war.

During the winter holidays, attention invariably turns to acts of kindness and generosity. Barrels and boxes for the collection of food donations appear in local grocery stores. Appeals for funds to feed the homeless start arriving in the mail. But hunger is a year-round thing. People need food every day of the year, not just during the holidays. 

I think it's great that Americans step up their donations to food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens at that time of year. And now, as the country struggles to move beyond the pandemic, But especially in this third year of pandemic, the need is greater than ever despite steps toward returning to normal.

Feeding the less fortunate is a cause I have supported for decades. I buy non-perishable food items such as soup, vegetables, peanut butter, cereal and pasta throughout the year. When items are on sale, I buy extras. When a food collection drive is announced, I have items ready to donate. 

May 14 will mark the return of the letter carriers' food collection drive in the U.S after being placed on hold for a couple of years due the pandemic. It's easy to donate: Simply place a bag of non-perishable food by your mail box, and your letter carrier will pick it up when your mail is delivered.

Most of us aren't chefs or celebrities, but there is always something we can do to help. We don't have to be wealthy to make a difference. If feeding the hungry isn't your thing, find what is. Perhaps it's helping children or animals or working to protect the wilderness. Maybe you can knit or crochet blankets for newborns in the hospital. Maybe you can foster a dog or cat until it's ready to be adopted. Maybe you have a special skill you can offer in service to others. I saw a story recently about a man who travels the country providing free haircuts to homeless and low-income people. 

As Bon Jovi said, "Find your good and  do it."

Killing Our Home

We humans, arguably the most intelligent and most highly evolved species to inhabit planet Earth, are destroying the only home available to us.

Consider these irrefutable facts:

Glaciers are melting.

Sea levels are rising. 

Drought is spreading and becoming more severe. 

Wildfires are decimating the western United States. 

Temperatures are higher than they have ever been. 

Hurricanes are proliferating. 

Much of the northeastern United States has been beset by massive flooding.

Air quality is poor in much of the country due to fires.

A deadly virus has killed millions of people around the world.

Rivers are running dry.

Some 16,306 species of animals and plants are facing extinction.

A broken pipeline off the coast of southern California spilled more than 144,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean.

The human population continues to increase, although the rate of growth is slowing.

Planet Earth is the only home we have. There may well be other habitable planets in the solar system, but we have no way to transport billions of people there. And there is no infrastructure available to support human life.

So while the naysayers mock and laugh at people such as teenager Greta Thunberg and others who are sounding the alarm, the danger is real. We are at the tipping point right now. If we don't take collective action to reduce climate change, it will be too late for all of us.

I'm an old lady, so I won't be around when the water is gone and the air is unfit to breathe. I won't be here when there are no food crops because there is no rain for the crops, and the bees vital to crop propagation are extinct. And I don't want to live in a world where there are no elephants, no tigers, no whales in the seas.

Today is Earth Day 2022. If humans are to survive the climate crisis, it’s going to take each and every one of us working together. But individual actions alone won't be enough. We need widespread, corporate involvement. We need a fundamental shift in the way we live, including a great reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

Change begins with us. I am now more conscious of my electricity consumption, and I make a greater effort to combine trips by car. Mass transit and walking are not an option as they were when I lived in California, where I could walk or ride my bicycle to the grocery store, or take the train to work. 

Each of us can do something. What will you do to help save the planet?

The World Is A Joke

Yes, the world is a joke ... but it isn't funny.

Superpower Russia has invaded Ukraine, an independent neighboring country that spent decades under oppressive Soviet domination, as the Russian megalomaniac president seeks to restore the country's domination of eastern Europe. Ukrainians, military and civilians alike, have done a remarkable job of fighting for their country against overwhelming forces.

A Russian athlete at the winter Olympics, who tested positive for a banned drug, was allowed to compete but not to win a medal. Apparently the pressure and the controversy affected her mentally, as she repeatedly fell during the competition, placing a distant fourth.

Truckers and others in Canada and elsewhere felt it was their right to interrupt commutes and international trade because they oppose vaccination and mask mandates. Boo hoo hoo.

Crime rates in the United States continue to skyrocket. 

Attacks on women's reproductive freedom are proliferating through more and more states. 

The threats to the American democratic form of government continue to bring us closer and closer to becoming an autocracy.

The number of states passing legislation designed to reduce voting rights for minority voters is growing.

We continue to treat the planet as if it will always be there, ready to support the human species despite being polluted, overpopulated and despoiled.

We continue to attack each other in the name of greed or religion or some other unimportant offense to our beliefs..

The state of Florida has rejected more than 40 percent of math textbooks because of its obsession with 'critical race theory.'

At least in the US, our former sense of community has been replaced by a prevailing 'what's in it for me?' attitude. Shoplifting, home invasions, car thefts and other crimes are skyrocketing. And we cannot overlook skyrocketing gun violence.

I don't like what this world, this country in particular, has become. 

Humans are supposedly the most advanced species on the planet. We need to start acting like it.

Raw Emotions

Never before has watching the news every day brought me to tears. 

But now it is extremely difficult to watch the stories of the destruction of Ukraine and the slaughter of its residents by the Russian military.

I’m not someone who weeps easily. This massacre in Ukraine has touched me deeply. I hate that the United States and its allies are standing by and watching this democratic country be destroyed. Yes, we have sent some weapons and humanitarian aid, but it is far from being enough.

I understand that no one wants to engage Russian troops and aircraft, potentially starting another world war or pushing Russia to use nuclear weapons. But something must be done to stop the bully Putin. Bullies don’t stop on their own. They stop only when they are stopped.

So many things, both good and bad, bring tears to the surface. Mostly these things are related to Ukraine. An image of someone rescuing dogs and cats abandoned when their humans fled the war. Learning that a mother's only son has died in defense of his country. Seeing the crush of Ukrainians at the Polish border, desperate to reach safety. Hearing that the Russians are targeting schools, hospitals and apartment buildings, as well as civilians fleeing the bombing of their neighborhoods. Knowing that the residents of city after city are quickly running out of food and water.

And then I read an uplifting story from Kenya about a group of grandmothers having a peaceful encounter with a massive bull elephant. Or reading about the morning antics of a previously horribly abused dog. And of course I am heartened by the incredible acts of bravery and compassion by Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike who are preparing meals, donating toys for refugee children and providing medical care.

All of these stories, as different as they can possibly be, touch my heart and bring tears to the surface. I cannot begin to image the suffering so many innocent people are enduring.

It isn't that I don't care about the suffering people. It's that I am helpless to do anything to ease their suffering, and my mind is being overwhelmed by the magnitude and the deliberateness of the suffering.

So I will continue to donate money each month to organizations working on the group to feed and care for those who have, quite literally, lost everything.

We Can Do Better

That's right. We can, and we must, do better.

An unmasked woman on an airplane recently was arrested for assaulting another passenger who had removed his mask because he was eating. Flight attendants are attacked on a regular basis after reminding passengers to put their masks on -- a federal regulation. Road rage incidents seem to be on the increase. Tempers are short everywhere. Car thefts, homicides and burglaries are out of control in the big city nearest to where I live. I now keep all doors to my house locked even when I'm home. If I park my car in the driveway for a few minutes because I will be leaving soon on an errand, I make sure it is locked. My car is otherwise secured in my garage.

I get it. We are all sick of this pandemic, which just entered its third year. Fortunately, we are now moving beyond the pandemic and are seeing an easing of many of the previous restrictions. Staffing shortages, from nurses to restaurant servers to truck drivers and pharmacy technicians, plague the nation. The list of items not available or in short supply, from food items to Christmas trees to clothing, continues to grow. Prices of nearly everything are through the roof. Disputes are settled with guns, just as they were in the Wild West. Throw in worry about the plight of the refugees and those still living in Ukraine as Russia attacks civilian targets, and stress can be through the roof.

Many of us are emotionally drained. But that is not an excuse for our lack of civility. I know that I have a short temper and I can have a sharp tongue. But those are things I can control, even if it often isn't easy.

I am out of patience and compassion for the willfully ignorant who kept the pandemic alive. I have no patience for parents who put their children's lives at risk by refusing to have them vaccinated. As parents, we should protect our children, not put them at risk.

I am making a real effort to be nice to people. I now chat with the grocery store cashier. I asked the guy at the UPS store if he had a good holiday. I wish people a good weekend. I take time to chat with neighbors I encounter while walking my dogs. I leave larger-than-usual tips for servers and hair stylists. And yes, sometimes I fail at being nice.

These are little things that take no effort and very little time. I am an introvert, so small talk doesn't come easily to me. But it really isn't hard. 

We are a nation of individuals, but we also are part of a greater society. We sink or swim together. We are meant to live together and to care about each other. Now too many people are out only for themselves. Murders, road rage, thefts, burglaries -- all have greatly increased. 

We must do better at caring about others. 

Don't Complain. Think of Ukraine.

It's often difficult to drag myself out of bed when the sky is still dark and the outdoor temperature cold. 

This morning was no different. It wasn't yet 5 a.m., and my dogs were still sleeping peacefully nearby. As has happened so many times recently, my thoughts turned to the people of Ukraine.

The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine.

I sleep in a comfortable bed, warmed by soft sheets and blankets. I know each night where I will sleep. People in Ukraine don't have that luxury. Their houses and apartments destroyed by Russian rockets and bombs, they struggle to find a safe place in a subway station or bomb shelter, where they try to sleep on the hard ground. Their children are frightened, cold and hungry.

When I get up, I know that I can take a hot shower. Too many Ukrainians don't even have running water, much less hot water for a bath or a shower. My dogs are safe going into my back yard before breakfast, which I am certain I can provide to them. 

What will I wear today of the many clothes in my closets and drawers? Do I need my heaviest winter coat, or will a lighter one suffice? For many in Ukraine, there is no choice. They wear what they were wearing when they had to flee their homes, or perhaps they can choose between a couple of outfits they grabbed on their way out the door. Their children may have one or two favorite toys, dolls or stuffed animals with them to keep them company as they now live in a world turned upside down. Everything and everyone they have known in their short lives is gone. Dad has stayed behind to fight the Russians. Mom is always crying. Where are Grandma and Grandpa?

I can go outside without fear of being bombed or shot simply for walking down the street. When I see a beautiful red sunrise, I know that it is simply Mother Nature's handiwork and not the result of nearby buildings -- schools, hospitals, food storage depots -- set ablaze by Russian rockets.

What will I eat for breakfast today? Cereal? Hot or cold? Yogurt? Toast? Do I want it with butter, or with peanut butter or jam? Eggs? Turkey bacon? Vegetarian sausage? Waffles? Granola bars? What kind of tea shall I make? Perhaps, since it's cold outside, I will have a bowl of hot soup. 

I put my phone on the charger and woke up my computer. It's a given that the electricity will continue to work when I flip the light switch. Many in Ukraine have had no electricity for weeks. Imagine huddling in an underground shelter with no heat, no lights. 

I went grocery shopping on Friday morning, and there were quite a few empty shelves. But food, while expensive, is still abundant and readily available. I don't have to wonder where I will get my next meal. Thanks to the wonderful World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org), many in Ukraine and those who have managed to cross the border into Poland and nearby countries can get hot food. World Central Kitchen has so far served 1 million meals to those affected by the war on Ukraine.

If I need medical care, I can make an appointment and be see pretty quickly. The medical offices and hospitals I use are not at risk of being bombed. 

I am heartbroken every time I read about or watch a news report about the suffering of the Ukrainian people. And I am frustrated that I can do nothing to help from afar. I have donated to the united Nations World Food Program, which is providing food in Ukraine, and I will donate soon to the World Central Kitchen. I check in on my friend in Ukraine. I offer prayers for the people of Ukraine and their leaders. That is not enough, but it is all I can do from afar.

And now, when I catch myself starting to complain, I stop and think about those in Ukraine. Please join me in doing whatever you can to help.

Don't complain. Think about Ukraine.